Sunday, December 30, 2007

A Bear for Julia Brings Back Great Childhood Memories

I can't help but create, it runs thru my veins and I come by it naturally and I can't ever see myself not creating something.

Lots of creative things have been happening around here this week, though not necessarily in the studio. I've been working with Mariah to design a very "teen-agery" bedroom for her. We had not done a thing to her room since we moved here 3 years ago - that's a real story in itself - so I'll save that for a blog later this week when I have photo's.....It turned out to be a four day project! Along with that I re-did our master bath. My husband has always had to live with either plain, dull while rooms or really frilly ones, but nothing that ever reflected his personality....until this week. I designed a bathroom for the hunter in him. I'm extremely happy with the results...but that too is another story for another time...

This story is about why I create....why it runs thru my blood. Well... it all goes back to my Grandma Campbell. She was the best!! She was always creating something. She loved to create dolls out of "Joy" dishwashing bottles. She would dress them up like little prarie girls with their bonnets and usually they had flowers in their hands. I used to love to go to her house and see all her new dolls that she created and hoped that if I begged long enough she would give me one. Which...you know...she usually did.

I remember sitting on the couch late at night waiting for Grandpa to get home. She would get out "THE BOX". It was filled with all sorts of creative treats - scraps of fabric and lace and stuff... We would sit together for hours and make doll clothes. She never EVER used a pattern and it always amazed me how she got the puffy sleeves to fit just perfect every time. ME?? Well, my idea of doll clothes was to cut out an oval. Then I would cut two circles for the arm holes, put it on my barbie and sew up the back. Okay...not bad for only 5 or 6 years old huh? If I was really creative I'd sew on a snap or a button...or rick rack...... I learned how to sew running stitches, use pinking shears all kinds of stuff. Those skills stuck with me to my teenage years and I spent countless hours making bears and dolls. Remember when the soft sculpture cabbage patch dolls were popular? I could not begin to tell you how many I created, I lost count! I do remember making doll clothes from a basic pattern and altering it into my own designs for clothes. Now I think back to those days and realize just how valuable that time was, not only was I learning to sew - a valueable skill, but at the same time I was making great memories and it was a great lesson on how important it is to pass that on to my kids.

So, this weekend, while Elise was out squirrel hunting with her dad (she just got her first real gun) and Mariah was arranging the things in her new teen-agery room, Julia and I made a teddy bear. We went to JoAnn's to pick out the fabric, she wanted a pink chenille bear. She knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it to look. A pink bear with a blue ribbon. I haven't sewn in years (and thinking about it - I don't know why...I love to sew) so this really was a real treat. We hand stitched the bear together. With each stitch, I was reminded of those times with Grandma, making bears as a teenager and thinking how special it is that I am able to share this time with Julia. When it came time to stuff the bear, she said she wanted it soft and cuddly, but she wanted alot of stuffing in the head because she wanted it to be real smart! How cute!

I put the finishing touches on the bear this morning, sculpted the eyes and nose, tied on the blue ribbon and accented the bear with a special ribbon rose. When I handed it to her, the look in her eye was all that I needed...with a little twinkle in her eye, she looked at me and said "THANK YOU! I LOVE MY BEAR" then I got a hug! I wouldnt trade that for a million dollars!